Page 61 of A Temptress in Tartan

He lowered his head and placed a kiss upon her abdomen. “A bairn. I am convinced our joining has brought forth a new life.”

“You cannot know such things.”

“But I do,” he said with a laugh. “Trust me, you will come to know the truth very soon. What we just experienced was the closest thing to magic upon this very earth.”

Elizabeth smiled, still feeling branded by the taste of him on her lips and the feel of him against her flesh. “Then let us surround ourselves with magic once again.”

And so, they did.

Chapter Twenty-One

The next morning, Lachlan and Elizabeth arrived in the great hall to find at table the others who had returned to Whittingehame with them, breaking their fasts. At their entrance, Lachlan’s fellow warriors gathered around them. With great joy, Lachlan introduced Elizabeth to them all. They were greeted with hugs from Lucy, and his cousins greeted her with a kiss on the cheek and him a stout pat on the back.

“Thank you all for traveling with us last night,” Lachlan said to the group of men and one woman. “After such an eventful week prior, it was comforting to know we would have an uneventful return home.”

Alexander Ross’s lips quirked. “Your future is anything but settled. What will you do now that the king has bid you to leave Scotland for a time?”

“Where will you go?” Rhys Elliot asked.

When Lachlan didn’t immediately reply, Cameron Sinclair came to stand before him and Elizabeth. “I might have a solution for you, if you will accept it.”

Lachlan’s brows drew together. “Elizabeth and I really haven’t discussed our options yet.”

“Hear me out,” Cameron said. “As you left Ravenscraig, heading for the harbor in Kirkcaldy, I saw the way both of you looked at the sea. There is a bit of a sailor in each of you if I am not mistaken.” He looked to Elizabeth for confirmation or denial of his claim.

“I cannot deny that I felt an inner restlessness as well as a sense of peace aboard The Golden Rose. I’ve been so sheltered all my life. There is great attraction to discovering just how big and how wonderful this world truly is.”

Cameron turned to Lachlan with an arched brow. “And do you feel the same?”

He put his arm around Elizabeth and held her tight against his side. “I could not agree with my wife more.”

Cameron nodded. “Then please accept as a wedding gift my carrack Destiny’s Song and a crew to go with her. She is a fine three-masted ship with twelve cannons, and she’ll see you safely wherever you choose to set sail.”

Both Lachlan and Elizabeth gaped at him in amazement. Lachlan recovered his voice first. “That is truly kind, Cameron, and we are honored by your thoughtfulness, but that is far too generous a gift.”

Cameron’s features darkened. “Are you not my brother-in-arms?”

“Aye,” Lachlan responded.

“Would you not give me whatever you had if I needed it?”

Lachlan could not deny the truth of that. “Aye, without hesitation.”

“Then accept what I offer you—a chance to be free from Scotland for a time, surrounded by an ocean that will keep you in relative safety, and take you wherever your hearts desire.”

Lachlan covered Elizabeth’s hand with his. “We are starting a new life, my love. What would you say if we continued that journey upon the sea?” His gaze searched her face.

She smiled. “My heart and my home are where you are. I think I would like sailing across the sea at your side.”

“And the bairn? Do you think you could be with child while we are nowhere near land?”

Lucy’s eyes widened. “You are with child?”

“Only my husband seems to think so,” Elizabeth said with a soft chuckle.

“Hmm,” Lucy said, studying his wife’s face. “Your skin is glowing and there is a bloom of something in your face.”

“Only time will tell on that matter.” Elizabeth’s cheeks pinkened. “Aye, Lachlan, I will do perfectly well as your wife or the mother of your children on land or at sea.”